Brain Injury Awareness: The Consequences of TBI - Part 1
- 6 Minutes 46 Seconds Reading Time -
Many of you know that I live with a brain injury survivor. In fact, my husband’s injury years ago prompted me to enter the field of nutrition with a focus on brain health.
So months like this - Brain Injury Awareness Month - hit very close to home. Any time I get the chance to talk about brain injuries or brain health in general, I seize the opportunity.
This week is no different. So let’s dive into the consequences of TBI and look at who’s affected.
Who is impacted by brain injury
If you are like most, you are likely aware of TBI headlines as they relate to an increasing prevalence of concussions and the need for more rigorous protocols to diagnose them. You are probably even more aware of these headlines if you happen to be an athlete, parent of an athlete, or an NFL fan.
Brain injuries also impact many troops and veterans. Many reports indicate room for improvement in the way the military supports the diagnosis of brain injuries and the support system that must follow such a diagnosis. But NFL players and troops are not the only ones that suffer from TBIs. Anyone, at any time, can be impacted by a traumatic brain injury (TBI).
And it often happens when we least expect it. It may be the result of an unfortunate car crash, a mishap at home, a mistake at work, or, as in the case of my husband, a collision between bike and motor vehicle.
Because brain injuries do not discriminate, everyone needs to educate themselves about their prevalence amongst the general population. And for employers, it’s crucial they learn about the lasting impact brain injuries can have on the productivity, lifestyles, and career trajectory of employees.
This week, let’s take a look at the prevalence of TBI in society and its impact on the injured. Next week, we’ll uncover the hidden costs of TBI and how it affects both employers and employees.
What is TBI?
According to the CDC, by definition, a traumatic brain injury, or TBI, is defined as any head injury that disrupts the normal functioning of the brain. As such, one can suffer from a TBI without losing consciousness.
Injuries can be classified as either closed-head or open-head - depending on whether or not the skull has been cracked open. As you would expect, open-head wounds are visible right away. These get immediate emergency care without question.
But it’s often the closed-head injuries that we need to worry about most. They may go undetected or undiagnosed - as is often the case with a concussion, especially if there was not a loss of consciousness. Without treatment or the proper neuronutrition program, people may find themselves in a world of trouble without the faintest idea of why.
As with the severity of the injury, symptoms sustained by a TBI survivor vary from mild to severe. The effects of a TBI can last anywhere from a few days to an entire lifetime. And impairments can include almost anything - from cognitive ability to emotional functioning and everything in-between.
Common symptoms of a mild TBI often include:
Headaches
Difficulty thinking
Slowed processing
Irritability
Fatigue
Dizziness
More severe cases can result in:
Life-threatening blood clots
Permanent physical disability
Lifelong cognitive impairment
And the most severe cases can even end in death.
Most people are unaware that the physiological changes that happen in the brain immediately following a brain injury can also end up destroying digestive functioning and motility.
It’s not uncommon for someone who’s sustained a concussion years ago to wake one day with persistent digestive problems and not have a clue as to why. Part of this is due to the lack of understanding of just how powerful the connection is between the gut and brain.
And what about the survivor of a TBI?
Once the physical signs of trauma have healed, the real torment for the survivor of a TBI begins. [quote]
I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating: TBIs should be considered a silent epidemic, as their psychological and cognitive effects often linger long after any physical impairment fades away.
The invisible impacts of a TBI
The effects of a brain injury run deep and reach far. Every aspect of your life can be affected.
Some effects will be visible right away while others will increase or decrease over time.
Every individual will experience a different combination of challenges and changes, as no two injuries are the same. Moreover, many factors work together to influence how each person’s physiology will react to the injury.
What becomes even more challenging is the fact that healing is not linear. Not only is there no clear cut time frame for healing, but no one can offer an estimated time for recovery.
Then come the ups and downs.
You may take one step forward in your progress then fall three steps back for no apparent reason. This repetitive cycle can be even worse than dealing with the actual symptoms themselves.
It can also cause the injured to feel like they are in a perpetual downward spiral, with no way out. The resulting depression and anxiety further compound symptoms and make the injured feel even worse.
In addition to the neuro-fatigue and chronic pain one has to deal with, there are often challenges walking, sitting for too long, or moving too quickly. These can alternate with feelings of restlessness. With a heightened sense of anxiety yet overwhelming feelings of fatigue, it can feel as though you have internal energy to burn but are physically unable to do so. This alone can make anyone feel as though they are going mad.
These compounding and conflicting symptoms also make it very difficult to explain or describe what you are going through.
Other invisible symptoms of a brain injury may include:
Difficulty understanding: Cognitive effects can leave you needing more time to understand and parse information. You may need to hear something several times before being able to understand. To make matters worse, the tinnitus ringing in your ears may be so loud at times that you miss words in a conversation - or entire conversations altogether.
Poor memory: You may have difficulty concentrating and feel easily distracted. Your memory will likely keep failing you, as you cannot remember instructions, follow directions, or learn new things easily. If this happens for you, ensure that you have a trusted friend or loved one accompany you to all of your doctor appointments or meetings so they can translate what was discussed after you leave. They can also help become your advocate, asking questions on your behalf and relaying doctor’s instructions after the fact that you might have missed, didn’t understand, or forgot.
Getting stuck on a thought: Another consequence of a brain injury is that you may get stuck on a single thought, idea, emotion, or action, unable to break free from this single-line of thinking. This is called “hyperfocus”, and is quite common after a TBI. It’s also seen in other disorders like autism, ADHD or OCD with repetitive actions, obsessions, or an inability to shift focus when engaged in certain activities. It occurs when there is a dysfunction in the front part of the brain, making it difficult to shift attention or gears.
Reduced processing speed: Your processing speed also slows down. It takes longer to form the words you want to say and the thoughts you’d like to convey. Sometimes, excruciatingly slow - for both you and the person you are trying to talk to. This is one area where you have to allow yourself some grace. Understand that it is not your fault and be gentle with yourself.
Emotional outbursts: The emotional effects of a brain injury are often worse than the physical ones. Feelings of irritability, depression, anxiety, fear, and anger can take over without notice. You may be prone to sudden outbursts of emotion and feel like a pendulum - crying one minute, laughing the next, then blowing a fuse moments later.
Emotional blunting: On the other side of the spectrum, you may not be able to show any emotion at all and appear distant or emotionally “flat” to others. Either emotional extreme can be confusing and hard to understand for everyone involved.
A loss of identity: It’s also common to feel like you have lost your own identity. Many people sustain a brain injury while they are engaged in some kind of sport - football, soccer, cycling, skiing, motorbiking, etc. People who participate in these kinds of activities are generally active and may have been so their whole lives. This makes it even harder to accept the reality of having to slow down and not be able to do everything they used to do.
Other behavioural effects: Other behavioural changes can take place as a result of a brain injury. They can include isolating themselves, engaging in risky behaviours, impulsivity, saying inappropriate things, or lacking a “filter.” As a result, maintaining positive relationships at home, at work, or at school can become a challenge. In fact, many families break apart after one partner suffers a brain injury.
Right Click To Save
“Studies show post-injury divorce rates are alarmingly high at 48% to 78% - leaving no question that brain injuries strain marriages.”
Part of this high divorce rate may be due to a spouse’s lack of understanding, behavioural changes seen in the injured, the added duties and stresses placed on everyone else in the household, or the newfound feelings of inadequacy that the injured often feels. Getting used to the switch from being independent to having to rely on others for care and support can be very hard to overcome.
Next week we’ll dive more into this as well as the other hidden costs of TBI.
Until then, I welcome your thoughts and value your feedback. Let me know what you think by dropping me a line or commenting below. And if I can help you or a loved one with your nutritional needs or to improve your symptoms post-TBI, be sure to make an appointment to see me today!
